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Growing a Farmers’ Market Summer Feeding Program Site:A Community Farm Alliance Resource Tool

Lara Daniels July 2014Heather HydenValerie HornHilary Neff

Letcher County Farmers’ Market Summer Feeding Program Site: A Pilot ProgramWhen the opportunity arose to start a summer feeding program at the Letcher County

Farmers Market, Valerie Horn of the market board jumped at the opportunity to provide

fresh, locally sourced meals for youth in the community. As Kentucky is ranked 45th in the nation for participation in the summer feeding program, this opportunity felt relevant.

Community Partner

Affiliation

Cora Sturgill

Food and Nutrition Director, Letcher

County Schools

Kevin Nichols

Letcher County Health Department

Grow Appalachia

Cowan Community Center

David Day Mountain Shrine Club

Robert Lewis

Mountain Heritage Festival Committee

The team quickly decided to try to establish this program. They saw many benefits: The market would be able to help feed children healthy

meals during the summer, buy produce from local growers to support the local foods economy, and create a vibrant community space that is accessible to all.

The Letcher County Farmers’ Market summer feeding site creates an opportunity to provide food for those who currently shop at the market in addition to attracting new customers who ordinarily might not have purchased food here.

The summer feeding site has increased its number of participants each week.

Cora Sturgill, Letcher Co. Schools, serving smoothies, fruit & yogurt parfaits, & brunch burritos

Brunch Burrito with Local Onions, Peppers, & Sausage

Photo 1 Eliza Jane drinks a free smoothie at the LCFM Summer Feeding Program site

Community Farm Alliance started the conversation on serving local foods as a part of the Summer Feeding Program, and showed that such a program is possible in

Eastern Kentucky.

What’s on the Menu?

o Smoothies with local berries

o Breakfast wraps

with local onions and peppers from market growers, and sausage from the Chop Shop in West Liberty, KY

o Fresh eggs purchased from newly licensed egg distributor for breakfast wraps.

What’s on the Backburner?

o Partner with Letcher Co. Schools to potentially reach 2000 students.

o Begin the

conversation for the schools to serve food purchased at farmers’ markets at other sites throughout the week.

o Over the long-term, see the school district buy food from the growers during the school year in addition to during the summer.

o LCFM goal is to continue to serve

free food to youth through October, even after the Letcher Co. Summer Feeding Program ends.

o Expand cooking demos at the site—have a different chef every week that demos his/her

own unique recipe using the growers’ foods.

o For the site to become mobile and distribute food to the housing authority ½ mile away.

o To encourage housing authority residents to either use the walking path or provide bikes for them to bike up to the farmers’ market.

o For the farmers’ market to

“Our vision for the farmers’ market is for it to become a place where everyone feels welcome—a gathering place for the entire community that provides nourishment for both the body and the soul.”

–Valerie Horn, CFA

Cora Sturgill, Valerie Horn, and CFA staff helping out at the food booth

become a place that is accessible to all, including those using WIC and/or EBT as well.

How-to Set Up Your Own Farmers’ Market Summer Feeding Site1. Bring all of the

stakeholders together to collaborate on the program’s implementation. Begin the conversation w/the Summer Feeding Site Sponsor. In this case this was the Letcher County Schools Food Service Director. Become a team.

2. Meet with key members of the community to generate interest in your program.

3. Share the plan and obtain approval

and support from the state level.

4. Communicate with your local health department:a. Explain exactly

what you want.b. Share your

values and why you want to start up the program.

c. Build trust with them and make sure they know that they are part of the project as well.

5. Look outside the box for the resources you will need:a. Look for trailers

in your community that seem to be unused at the time(s) you will need them and make some phone calls.

b. Use social media to identify resources.

c. Speak with people in your community and ask them to volunteer to cook and/or serve at your site.

Food Booth ExpensesBelow are listed the expenses incurred by the Letcher Co. Farmers’ Market during the implementation of

Food Booth ExpensesCertificate for

Temporary Food Booth

$50

Food Handlers’ Class

$10 each X 3

Managers’ Class

$30 each X 3

Food prep staff salary

Deposit for Heavy-Duty

Extension Cord

$200

$250

Miscellaneous Supplies

$100

Total $720These expenses were covered through funds provided by Grow Appalachia and private donors.

their Summer Feeding Program Site. Depending on how many resources you can find within your community, you may encounter similar

costs during your program’s implementation.

FOOD PREP STAFF SALARY

AND PRIVATE DONORS.

ResourcesFresh from the Farm:Using Local Foods in the Afterschool and Summer Nutrition Programs

http://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/produceguide.pdf

Stay InformedWKU Public Radio piece:http://wkyufm.org/post/letcher-county-farmers-market-designated-usda-summer-feeding-site-becoming-first-state

Community Farm Alliance

http://communityfarmalliance.org

Letcher Co. Farmers’ Market

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Letcher-County-Farmers-Market/249704551771258

Mountain Garden Initiative

http://mountaingardeninitiative.webs.com

Grow Appalachia

https://www.berea.edu/grow-appalachia/

Appal-TREE Project

https://www.facebook.com/appaltree